Next time my head is being ground into the sticky lino on the floor of a Ryanair plane as 50 people stampede over me, I’ll think of how………of how it used to be:

People who could speak English even better than the Queen

Flashing airscrews

A toothbrush and a powder puff…..

Flying boats

Dealing with Colonial affairs

Breakfast in bed at 15,000 feet

Men named “Whitney Straight”

Bottle tops for lunch

The film touts the development of British civilian air service after World War II. The film documents how British Airways was once two separate services: British European Airways, which serviced just European continent, and British Overseas Airways Corp., which covered everywhere else. As with many films from the early days of international air travel, the luxury of the trip is emphasized in this film. Passengers are shown have a selection of alcohol in the terminal before departure, for example. The film also has examples of period aircraft and airlines, such as Swiss Air, SAS, Iceland Airways, and TWA. Early British jets, cargo planes, and amphibious craft round out the imagery. Otherwise, mildly interesting from a historical viewpoint and standard issue bombastic narrator.